Kozy62

sdbrms

The ayatollah is still in control, truly. Look it up. It won't matter who is the President as long as that holds true. He gave the OK for this man to be President. Nothing will change, it actually may get worse. However, the "man on the street" interview I heard from there says that "Islam is not working". Maybe there's hope in the PEOPLE.

Kozy62

... And even if he truly were committed to nuclear reconciliation, Rouhani, like Ahmadinejad, lacks the power to alter Iran's nuclear trajectory. As Rouhani acknowledged during the campaign, Khamenei remains in charge of Iran's nuclear policy.

Kozy62

To be sure, during the election campaign, Rouhani projected moderation relative to his competitors. He ran on a "policy of reconciliation & peace," & criticized nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili & outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for reckless diplomacy that united the U.S., Europe, & the international community in support of unprecedented global sanctions to punish Iran for its uncompromising nuclear stance.

In the face of increasingly crippling sanctions, Iranians appeared to embrace the "anyone-but-Jalili" vote, if only to counter the candidate who appeared to be Khamenei's first choice. Rouhani, after all, promised that his moderate positions could bring the West around to authorize sanctions relief before the Iranian economy collapses.

Rouhani, however, is only the most moderate of the eight hardline candidates who were hand-selected by Khamenei. And even if he truly were committed to nuclear reconciliation, Rouhani, like Ahmadinejad, la